Following a series of excellent runs recently, Kate Hawley started favourite for the Professional Cross Country Club of Tasmania’s Renaessance 5km handicap at Penguin and didn’t disappoint.
Hawley (17) began competing with the Coastal Running Club over summer and when that season wrapped up joined the PCCCT to continue her running. Training four or five times a week, including one long run, had got her very fit and she needed to be for the course with which she was confronted on Sunday.
A new course for the Club, it commenced at the Penguin Motocross track with a large loop in the surrounding bush followed by a 1.2km run down Dial Road before returning to the track. With the recent rain, the bush loop was very wet and slippery, which was both challenging and fun.
This was the first in a series of trail runs spread over the season and many runners were happy to be able to get off sealed surfaces.
Running strongly from her mark, Hawley set off after the frontmarkers. Aileen Powell, John Purton and Ron Chequer proved hard to catch but Hawley took the lead with just over a kilometre to run and then had to hold off Keegan Powell, who backed up well from his win last week, and fast finishers Joshua Williams and Russell Horton.
Are large group of backmarkers, including Thomas Murton, Thomas Wilson and Dallas van Rooyen were close up, the tough course suiting the stronger runners.
Another youngster in Andrew Aichberger (16) sneaked into 9th placing in a very promising run.
Thomas Murton was the fastest of the men with Sally Haynes the quickest woman.
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